1. Field of the Invention
The present invention relates to a cyclone dust collecting assembly for a vacuum cleaner, and more particularly to a cyclone dust collecting assembly having a separable dust barrel.
2. Description of the Related Art
Generally, a cyclone dust collecting apparatus for a vacuum cleaner directs air into a vortex. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus uses the centrifugal force of the vortex to separate contaminants from the air and collect the separated contaminants.
The cyclone dust collecting apparatus includes a cyclone body for directing the air that is drawn into the vacuum cleaner into a vortex and separating the contaminants from the air by centrifugal force. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus further includes a dust barrel for collecting the separated contaminants. The cyclone body and the dust barrel are integrally formed with each other. The cyclone dust collecting apparatus is received in a dust chamber of the vacuum cleaner. The dust barrel has a bottom plate formed on a lower end to be opened and closed. Accordingly, when the dust barrel is full of contaminants, the cyclone dust collecting apparatus is removed from a cleaner body in the vacuum cleaner. Then, the bottom plate is opened in order to dispose of the contaminants collected in the dust barrel.
The conventional cyclone dust collecting apparatus constructed as above, however, is inconvenient for a user to handle, since the user must remove the entire cyclone dust collecting apparatus from the cleaner body in order to empty the dust barrel mounted in the cyclone dust collecting apparatus.
The present invention has been made to overcome the above-mentioned problems of the related art. Accordingly, it is an object of the present invention to provide a cyclone dust collecting assembly for a vacuum cleaner having an improved structure, which is capable of connecting and separating a dust barrel to and from a cyclone body mounted in a cleaner body of the vacuum cleaner.
The above object is accomplished by a cyclone dust collecting assembly for a vacuum cleaner according to the present invention, including a cyclone body disposed in a dust chamber of a cleaner body. The cyclone body uses centrifugal force to separate contaminants from the air that is drawn in through a suction brush. The cyclone dust collecting assembly further includes a dust barrel removably connected to a lower end of the cyclone body, and a connecting separating portion for removably connecting the dust barrel to the lower end of the cyclone body in the dust chamber. The dust barrel is in communication with the cyclone body and collects those contaminants from the cyclone body that have been separated from the air by centrifugal force.
The connecting/separating portion includes a movable unit movably disposed on a lower side of the dust barrel in a reciprocal manner, for raising and lowering the dust barrel. The movable unit is received in and moves along a slanted recess formed in a lower end of the dust barrel. The connecting/separating portion further includes a base for movably supporting the movable unit from a lower portion of the dust chamber.
Further, it is preferable that the slanted recess spirals outward from a center to an outer edge of the dust barrel, gradually increasing in depth as it extends toward the outer edge.
The movable unit includes a movable lever disposed between the base and the dust barrel. The movable lever has a protrusion that is inserted into and guided along the slanted recess, a rotary pin formed on one end of the movable lever for rotatably supporting the movable lever to the base, and a handle formed on the other end of the movable lever and exposed to the outside of the dust chamber.
It is preferable that the movable lever, the rotary pin, and the handle are integrally formed with each other.
It is also preferable that the protrusion, which is formed on the movable lever, is offset from a middle line or main axis of the movable lever.
It is also preferable that the base is integrally formed in the cleaner body.
It is also preferable that the dust barrel has a handle formed on an outer surface thereof.